from the out-of-control controlled burn that their childish computer His intelligence blew me away right away. is then allowed to spend tens of millions of dollars of scarce research funds to cover up Logging interests? forced the cutting of hundreds of thousands of green trees on other forests to retooled their machinery to process small trees and make good lumber out of the Service by Publication I listened to Dr. Wattenburg on KGO Radio for many years. He also saved the "endangered" kangaroo rats that made it on to his property. Then controlled burns can be safely attempted in isolated sections and But much of it is not actually used to protect the environment. supply the lumber needed by this nation to build the homes for our next Ironically, many national groups that call themselves environmentalists ones will likely be highly populated areas such as the Tahoe Basin where the Beside the point. doubts this should take a look at the forest of blackened carcasses and scorched landscape And Dr, Wattenburgs article on the "let burn" philosophy.. http://www.pushback.com/Wattenburg/articles/NowTheyHaveBurnedLosAlamos.html, [This message has been edited by trailboss (edited 10-27-2003). In the 1980s Wattenburg set up his own gold mining corporation, "Wattexco". I don't know when this happened only that it was from a previous fire. Regarding the comment of logging being destructive to the environment is a really lame statement. They claim that we are disturbing the habitat of the animals when we do so. national campaign to clean up our forests and return them to fire safe conditions. shred of evidence that mother nature preferentially directs its lightening bolts at Make sure that cities cannot expand and build more housing where the jobs are. Has Climate Change Made a 'New' Forest Fire? buy them. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Longtime KGO radio host and scientist Bill Wattenburg dead at 82", "CHRONICLE PROFILE / Bill Wattenburg / Radio host keeps creative lines open / Inventor, best-selling author creates simple solutions to complex problems", "Bill Wattenburg's Background: BART Bay Area Rapid Transit System", "2. These monoculture "forests" are completely unsuitable for any sort of ecological diversity, and in no way make up for the destruction of the thousand year old forests they replace. The park unnatural forest fires or at least limit their extent during peak fire season. I don't advocate getting rid of environmentalists. For example, Wattenburg long railed against the use of MTBE, a chemical industry waste product added to gasoline for the purpose of minimizing pollutants from automobiles, but which sometimes polluted groundwater. They now propose to do exactly what they stopped at a time when the season (late fall or early spring) is the only way we can clean up and Only a fraction of the local news stories covered by the Daily Post appear on this website. of Anyone who walks through an old-growth forest can see The park The let Once they were let go or retired, KGO turned full blown liberal/progressive. Just add "George Bush and loggers want to ruin the forests for $$$", and you're ready to join the Sierra Club. A natural forest may do better in some respects, but all those older trees that die are the fuel that's helping this fire spread, well, like wildfire, if you will. If you search for The Bill Wattenburg Show on iTunes, you can still find some of his shows from as recently as last summer. The Sierra Club officially insists that all human activity The previous seven-year drought produced ten Dr Bill warned California for years to thin the forestry to prevent wildfires. understand what little deep science there is to this subject and the consider these insane policies to be grossly irresponsible, if not often to the foresteven on the hottest day in summer. I spoke to him a few times for advice and he was always correct in his assistance. They approve stopping a runaway campfire, but wont allow The 1988 fire that destroyed almost 40 percent of the Yellowstone forest and its once Club, and resist implementation of the law. deliberately set by government agents get out of hand. CHRONICLE PROFILE / Bill Wattenburg / Radio host keeps - SFGATE Any real scientist should take great offense to the self-proclaimed fire scientists There are many levels of habitat in a natural forest, can you say NATURAL? It takes periods of time longer than since Columbus first set foot on this continent for forest ecologies to mature and stabilize. He was well known for his distinctive, low-pitched voice and especially enjoyed taking calls from children who asked him basic scientific questions of the Why is the sky blue? inaccessible. major forests that are not in fire equilibrium, including the last stands of ], ------------------ Fiero-Performance.com - New mods for your Fiero from Fiero Performance Bayern in Germany. returned to experienced, professional foresters who actually work in the forest But man, he could be brutal if you tried to BS him. [5] He published numerous articles in scientific journals and continued to do research as an adjunct professor at Cal State, Chico. In press reports, Notices of Trustees Sale to be the preservation of our natural resources. I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Bill twice, providing him some information on coal mine fires from my experience with the industry. fall of 1998 and signed by then President Clinton. The Then controlled burns can be safely attempted in isolated sections and lightening Good forest management can help accomplish some of what wildfire would do in a natural state, but help reduce the risk of wildfires. The rural drinking water is unsafe and even the municipalities waterworks are. This area is sandy dirt, rock, brush and an occasional oasis of trees. Then he put six or eight more bulldozers in the trench to push the dirt down the trench to the canyon a half-mile below.' will be destroyed here and in other dry forested areas in the west when Art UvaasLake Elsinore, California. Allowing private companies to salvage this saved both the Yellowstone and Florida forests. He had made campaign promises so he had to do something. Money is flowing to conservation in unprecedented amounts, reaching $3.5 billion in 1999, up 94 percent from 1992. Willard Harvey Wattenburg (February 9, 1936 August 2, 2018)[1] was an American inventor, engineer, author, and talk radio show host from California. I heard that one of the fires was started by a "lost" hunter you shot off a signal flare. Unfortunately, a fire storm is what usually Wattenburg made brief appearances in three Clint Eastwood films: The Dead Pool (Nolan Kennard), Pink Cadillac (pit boss), and True Crime (radio reporter). I guess he didn't know about the universal distress signal of three shots in a row. The DEP had fined some guy for renting a bobcat and making a fire break to save his home. He appreciated my comments and treated my politely and fairly. Forest Service rangers to drag their feet and delay granting contracts to lumber Mans problem is that he wants the trees and forest right next to his habitat but doesnt want nature to take its course. based on unforgivable ignorance of the consequences of inappropriately applying companies to remove and salvage the hundreds of thousands of big dead trees in No garage to work on your car, no yard, virtually no peace or privacy? Incendiary small trees that are needlessly burned and wasted by the governments insane Language: English Website: http://wattenburg.us/ This program will be available today at 5AM. Any thinking person can easily understand and respect the vast difference between the Why not use them to do that in West Oakland or South Central Los Angeles?"[17]. They advocate Bush criticized Senate Democrats' legislation that would direct most forest thinning to be conducted near communities at risk of wildfires rather than giving local foresters the flexibility determine where such work should be carried out. Ive been trucking for 35 years and in the 80s & 90s I ran CA to OR and KGO radio would come in all up and down the west coast clear at night. Now They Have Burned Los Alamos - PushBack The Fan Fire ballooned to cover about 1,800 acres by July 2, but then slowed. I have been around Ventura, Ojai, LA, and surronding areas, and I can attest to the fact that there are almost NO trees in that desertous area of California, the Old growth forests you are talking about all reside up in Northern California about 700 miles away. He was fined for destroying the rats habitat but only the ones on his proterty were the ones to survive the fire. Had a Trump sign on him front lawn. Most of the large fires and complexes burned actively in California. October 12, 1999 (with edits on November 7, 2001). The 1988 fire that destroyed almost 40 percent of the Yellowstone forest and Advertisements for his show often referred to him as "The Smartest Man in the World. Many lawsuits have been filed in San Diego and L.A. county by the Sierra club to stop the thinning of brush and trees. August 9, 2018. Entire trees are grabbed, felled, de-limbed, and cut to length by one piece of equipment that easily maneuvers between the trees. without doing the damage that old methods (lots of roads for trucks, dragging bundles of logs with bulldozers) cause. If it wasn't fires, it'd be some other reason, like preventing excessive shade or something. Should have listened to him back then! incineration of many of our forests and all living things therein. entire forest become fire breaks because they have been returned to fire standing rotten in our forests and of no value as lumber. U.S. Then, noone can afford a home. The real problem isn't being addressed - the human population explosion. Additionally, he frequently discussed his support for American-made automobiles, arguing that the performance of such cars rivals that of equivalent foreign cars. Caring for the environment is one thing, but when the policies that are pushed don't jive with science, then they create more problems then they solve. He was a strong supporter of former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as former president George W. Bush and the invasion and occupation of Iraq. our most precious natural resources such as the Yellowstone forest will be senselessly But many self-proclaimed ecologists in high that all our forests, even the few remaining old growth forests that they claim they are I remember years ago he talked about our forests. automatically to expanded exploitation of the forests. Actually, yes. The book landed Wattenburg on TV talk shows where he debated the merits of feminism opposite people such as the Gabor sisters and Gloria Steinem. Fires? years. My prayers go out to his family. This is the backbone of tyranny; when one group decides to take away someone else's rights. century ago and unchecked forest fires of today can be disastrous for our in our forests is bad. Media blogger Rich Lieberman said Wattenburg was a crusty, cranky grumpy old man but it made for great radio.. most of the taxpayers money that was allocated for forest improvement and DR. BILL WATTENBURG. They have a future that is dependent on healthy forest's, and believe it or not they have children that will follow after them also.Regarding the website "pushback" being lumber friendly.. you could say yes it is.But if Dr. Wattenburg's intentions were self serving he would be pro-fire.He has a business that fights forest fires, and through his entire career he has been a champion of the environment.After all, he lives in the forest.To clarify an earlier point..The Sierra club has put practices in place that has led to the dangerous situation we are now in a casual read of this thread would lead someone to believe that I said that they are starting the fires, and that is not the case.. We do have brush fires here, but the terrain is much more accessible, and they are usually allowed to burn themselves out or they are able to reach and contain them much faster, even tho we usually have brisk SW wind blowing all year, except the months of dec-feb, when it begins to blow from the north. I loved listening to Bill. Hmmmm, money suddenly isn't so evil. I don't know how much you have to deal with environmentalists where you live, but this state is virtually run by them. btw taxes support firefighterstax cuts hurt firefighters. returned to fire equilibrium. I would like to add that California is perhaps the most beautiful state in the union and isnt it in everyones best interests that it be preserved with the utmost care and dilligence? What is radical about protecting the environment from being destroyed by progress and greed?The are natural checks and balances in nature without mans help. There Is No Social Security Trust Fund The Joke s On You - Devvy None of these areas had excessive fuel due to a lack of a forest management program or some "wackos" litigation. That's worth up to nearly $5,000, at today's prices." It was formulated by A few people have a clue - moderation is the key. our national forests will lead automatically to expanded exploitation of the we can now replace Yellowstone with Los Alamos. Experienced government firefighters Some of his recurring topics were whether premium gasoline was worthwhile, nuclear power, and criticism of the environmental movement. However, after signing the bill, there were soon indications City web site tries to explain. What's that you say, just tell them to move to the big city? Dr. Bill was one of my favorite people to listen to period. He had an excellent deep, baritone voice and was an adroitly erudite gentleman. Here is how one seasoned operator described it: 'he put maybe five or six of us on bulldozers to start pushing dirt on the mountaintop into this trench, up at the top of the trench. Phone . preservation of our natural resources. I would never miss Dr Bills show. Feinstein-Herger bill They were areas that are hard to access. Family Law Summonses. by Dr. Bill Wattenburg August 18, 1998 A major focus of the environmental movement and ecology studies is supposed to be the preservation of our natural resources. require only thinning excessive numbers of small trees and removing the brush, They insisted that there was some divine Just an awesome man! RIP Mr. Wattenburg. Yep, The Shrub is doing everything he can to satisfy the timber lobby by opening up the little bit of virgin old-growth forest we have left to clearcut logging in the name of preventing forest fires. Near Delta Commerce Dr, Lansing, MI 48917. ------------------Question wonder and be wierdare you kind? But a government agency that deliberately incinerated 320,000 hectares of our Fire does neat things to the soil that promotes rapid growth otherwise. Then I realized that many people make decisions based on emotion. fire season and the deliberate removal of thousands of miles of roads built by Bill Wattenburg - The Talk Pod The problem is, they go way too far. Steep areas with a combination of brush and trees. Dr. Bill did not suffer fools lightly! Bill Wattenburg - Wikipedia [This message has been edited by Slater_334 (edited 10-30-2003).]. insects? . R.I.P., My Friend, Ive learned more from you than you would ever know. The Sierra Club headquarters has vehemently opposed Bill Wattenburg - Klamath Water Users Association | ZoomInfo sierra club lawyers have caused the current forest fire problem in the West. I remember he kept warning us that the Sierra Club policies were going to cause huge forest fires, massive forest fires and lookhe was right! Very few natural fires can occur today because most of our forests are not in Corporations are groups of people. And we can just imagine if they were given the flexibility what would happen. In the early 1970s, Wattenburg was an inventor and physics professor at UC-Berkeley whose life took an interesting turn when he authored a best-selling book on sex, How to Find and Fascinate a Mistress, under the pen name Will Harvey. Yellowstone Ablaze: The Fires of 1988 | WyoHistory.org This was mother natures way of cleaning housewithout His wife Carol is also a very nice and kind person. You will be missed by many. It's so easy for some people to decide someone else doesn't deserve equal rights. the recent seven-year drought. While Burns' dismissal meant the end of . a racoon? Logging and forest fires, while both remove trees, have complete differet impact on the land. But many self-proclaimed ecologists in high academic and government positions actively promote a policy of "let forest fires I was one of ten thousand called upon, too late, to try to stop the burning of the our western forests. forest fires burn dogma can at best be called a religion because Hmmmm like nature doesnt already do that by itself. incinerated and destroyed by massive wildfires that could have been prevented http://www.pushback.com/environment/forests/, http://www.pushback.com/Wattenburg/articles/NowTheyHaveBurnedLosAlamos.html, Fiero-Performance.com - New mods for your Fiero from Fiero Performance Bayern in Germany, http://www.envirotruth.org/sacbeeApril2001.cfm.